Truck-centering device



TRUCK CENTERING DEVICE Filed May 4, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet l 3m. 29, w24. www@ J. G. ELUNT TRUCK CENTERNG DEVICE Filed May 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITN ESS E J.G.BLUNT TRUCK CENTERING DEVICE Jam 29, 1924.

Filed May 4, 1925 3 Shees-heet 5 Patented dan. 2g, 1924,.

UNITED STATES JAMES G. IBLUNT, F SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK.

'rnUcx-cnN'rnnINe Dnvron Application tiled Hay 4, 1928. Serial No. 686,568.

To wZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known thatv I, JAMES G. BLUN'r, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Schenectady, inthe 'county of Schenec- 5 tady and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Truck-Centering Devices, o which improvenient the following is 'a specification.

My invention relates to centering devices for railroad trucks, of the type in which rollers are applied between reversely inclined surfaces, for exertin a resistance to the lateral dis lacement o one roller seat, relatively to t e other, when passin over a curved portion of the track, and pr ucing a tendency for the rollers to return to' the bottom of the inclines, in order to bring the parts back/ to the normal central position when returning to a straight portion of the 2o track.

With this roller type of centeringl device, as heretofore applied in practice, it as been found that the rollers have a tendency to slide without turning, thereby becoming flattened, and defeatin the urpose for which they were inten ed, an one of the objects of my invention, is to provide means for e'ecting a positive and simultaneous rolling movementl of the rollers, whenever the roller seats are subjected to relative lateral displacement. Another object is to prevent any longitudinal displacement oit vthe rollers, with respect to their paths and to enclose and protect the moving parts from the access of dust and grit, and ensure the maintenance, in correct alignment and operative relation, of the members of a truck centering mechanism of the type tov which my invention relates.

The im rovement claimed is hereinafter fully set orth:

lin the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a locomotive engine trailing truck, embodying my invention; Fig. e5 2, a side view, in elevation, of the same;

Fig. 3, a rear view; Fig. 4, a side view,.in

elevation, of the upper roller seat; Fig. 5, an inverted plan view of the same; 'Fi 6, a similar view of the lower roller seat; 7, a side view, in elevation of the same; ig. 8, a plan view of the roller yoke; Fi 9, a side view of the same; Fig. 10, an en view, inI elevation, of a roller; Fig. 11, a plan view of thesame; Fig. 12, a plan view of '55 the key locating the roller seat on the' top of the truck box; Fig. 13, a side view of the same; Fig. 14, a plan view of the assembled spring seat and roller seat; Fig. 15, a longitudinal section through the roller seats; Fig. 16, a transverse section through ythe spring seat and upper roller seat; and, Fig. 17, a transverse section through a spring seat plate. l

M invention is herein exemplified as appliedlv in a two wheeled locomotive e 'ne trailing truck, of the well known ole type, in which an axle, 1, on which a pair of wheels, 2, is secured, is fitted to rotate in journal boxes, 3, which are mounted, with the capacity of relative movement, in the side members, 4, of the truck frame, said members being formed integral .with forwardly and inwardly extendin radius bar arms, 4, and a rear transverse' ar, 4*. The truck frame is, in the usual manner, pivotally connected to the main frame of the locomotive by a radius bar pin, passing through an eye, 4t, located in the longitudinal central plane of the truck, at the forward extremity of the radius bar arms.

In the practice of my invention, there is mounted on each of the journal boxes, 3, a lower roller seat, 5, on each vside of the upper face of which there are formed two racks, 5, each rack being inclined, downwardly and upwardly, alternately from the middle transverse plane of the roller, and an upper roller seat, 6, having similarly located racks, 6, inclined', upwardly and downwardly, alternately, is supported on each of the lower roller seats, 5, through the intermediation of two rollers, 7 each of which is fixed on a pin, 7", and has formed on its ends, pinions, 7, which engage the racks of the upper and lower roller seats, 6 and 5. The inclination of the racks is predetermined to present the desired degree of centering eiort or lateral resistance, and in normal position, on a tangent track, the axes of the rollers are directly inline with the intersection of the reversed inclines of' the racks as shown in Fig. 15.

ln order to ensure the operation ofthe rollers in unison, and the maintenance of their axes in normal relation one with the other, as welles to protect the teeth from the access of dust and grit, there is provided, for each pair of roller seats, a roller yoke, 8, which is in the form of an open bottomed casing, enclosing the rollers, andhaving bearings, 8', on its sides, for the pins, 7", of the rollers. Downwardly projecting flanges, 8", on the ends of the roller yokes protect the lower roller seat from deposit of idirt under the full amount of roller travel. The proper location of the lower roller seats, 5, on the journal boxes, 3, is eifected and maintained by keys, 9, which engage channels in the journal boxes, formed on l lines passing through the middle planes of the spring seats 3, of the journal boxes, and through the axlal line of the radius bar pin eye, 4, said keys also engaging channels, 5", in the bottoms of the lower roller seats,.5, i5 cut at ri ht angles to the lines of roller travel. he direction of roller travel is thereby rendered essentially' normal 'to the axial ine of the swivelling of the truck,

which is that ofthe radius bar pin eye, 4. Recesses 6",V extending parallel with the lonitudina central plane of the locomotive, are

A ormed in the tops of the upper roller seats,

6, for the receptlon of square plates, 10, in which dowels, 33, on the` bottogns of the '25 sp'rn seats, 3*, are tted. Circular grooves, l0, or carrying lubricant, are formed in the bottomsof the plates, 10, and said plates have the capacity of movement lon itudinally, so as to automatically maintaln the 3' fxedlocation of the s ring seats, while rmitting the u per ro er seats to travel 1n a path concentric with the radius bar pin eye, d. As shown in Fig. 17, the. plate, l0, is also bevelled at vits top, at its front and rear sides, to permit the rise and fall of the truck, due to irregularities in the track, with the radius bar pin acting as the connection for .swivelling movements of the truck.

The spring seats, 3, constitute the con- 4@ necting links, between the truck frame and the floating yokes, il, which, by reasons of articulations made by pins passing through lugs, 11, on the floating yokes, compensate for all fluctuations of the truck frame, relatively to the main frame of the locomotive.

il claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a radial railroad truck, the combination of a truck frame; journal boxes, fitted therein; lower vroller seats, mounted on saidl journal boxes and having lateral racks, each oppositely inclined in the direction of itsv len h' ke en 'n channels in the journalgltioxes isld logvgl' iiiiller seats, inclined in lanes intersecting in the axis of the radius bar pin; upper roller seats, having lateral racks, each oppositely inclined in the direction of its length; and rollers, interposed between the roller seats and carrying pinions, 00 enga in'g the racks thereof.

2. .In a radial railroad truck, the combination of a truck frame; journal boxes, fitted therein; oppositely facin roller seats, suported on said journal oxes, and having 55 ateral double inclined racks; rollers, interposed between the roller seats and carrying pinicns engaging the racks thereof; keys engaging c annelsA iny the journal boxes an adjacent roller seats and inclined in planes, intersecting in the axis of the radius bar pin; and spring seats, supported on the upper roller seats.,

3. In a radial railroad truck, the combination of a truck frame; journal boxes, fitted therein; oppositely facing roller seats, supported on said ournal boxes and having lat eral double inclined racks; rollers, interposed between the roller seats andcarryin'g pinions engaging the racks thereof; keys, engaging channels in the journal boxes and adjacent r'oller seats and inclined in planes intersecting in the axis of the radius bar pin; spring seats, supported on the upper roller seats; and floating yokes, connected to the spring seats and adapted to be coupled to the main frame of 'the vehicle on which the truck is installed.

4. In a radial railroad truck, the combination of a truck frame; journal boxes, fitted therein; oppositely facing roller seats, supported on said journal boxes and having lateral double inclined racks; rollers, interposed between the roller seats and carrying pinions en aging the racks thereof; keys, engaging c annels in the journal boxes and adjacent roller seats and inclined in planes intersecting in the axis of the radius bar pin; spring seats, supported on the' upper roller seats; and means for permitting movement of the upper roller seats, relalo tively to the spring seats.

5. ln a radial railroad truck, the combination of a truck frame; journal boxes, fitted therein; oppositely facing roller seats, Supported on said journal boxes and having W5 lateral double inclined racks; rollers, interposed between the roller seats and carrying pinions engaging the racks thereof; keys engaging channels in the journal boxes an adjacent roller seats and inclined in planes 11 intersecting in the axis of the radius bar pin; spring seats, supported on the upper roller seats; and plates, connected to the spring seats and engaging channels in the upper roller seats.

. 6. In a centering device for radial trucks, the combination of an upper roller seat; a lower roller seat, each of said seats having lateral racks, each op itely inclined in the direction of its lengt rollers, interposed E20 between said seats and carrying pinions engaging the racks thereof; and open bottomed roller yokes, encasing the `racks and pinions.

7. In a centering device for radial trucks, "5 the combination of an upper roller seat;

a lower roller seat, each ofsaid seats having lateral racks, each oppositely inclined in the direction of its length; rollers, interposed between said seats and carrying pin- 130 ions engagin the racks thereof; and open posed between said seats and carrying -pinl0 bottomed rol er Kokes, encasing the racks ions engaging the racks thereof; and open and pinions, and aving lateral bearings for bottomed roller yokes, encasing the racks the rollers. and pinions and having flanges projecting 5 8. 1n a centering device for radial trucks, downwardly from their ends.

the combination of an upper roller seat; JAMES G. BLUNT. e lower roller seat, each of said seats having Witnesses: lateralv racks, each oppositely inclined in J. HOWARD WAGAR,

the direction of its length; rollers, inter- HELEN M. BAoH. 

